While posting the "recipe" of the cauliflower pastiche I was wondering if
bechamel with grated cheese is really a Mornat sauce. I checked up wikipedia
in italian and it said a Mornay is a bechamel with added egg yolk and cream,
then I checked up wikipedia in english and it says a Mornay is just bechamel
and grated cheese, then I checked up the franch wikipedia and it says that a
Mornay is bechamel with added egg yolk and grated cheese. Reminds me of a
polish saying: three Poles, four opinion.
They all cite the book "Le Cuisinier royal", in particular its tenth
edition: the french and italian wikis say that Mornay sauce appeared for the
first time on that book, while the US version says the exact opposite:
"Sauce Mornay does not appear in Le cuisinier Royal, 10th edition, 1820; ".
Why this paragraph? It is obvious to everybody that someone quotes a book if
the book is relevant to the matter, not if it is totally nonrelevant: this
said, my guess is that the US page has been translated by soemone who didn't
well understand the french.
So we remain with 2 options: bechamel plus eggyolk and grated cheese (fr) or
bechamel plus cream, eggyolk and grated cheese (it).
I'd stand with the French but I'd prefer soem more info. Anyone has a copy
of the tenth edition of "Le Cuisinier royal" in a pocket right now?
--
"Un pasto senza vino e' come un giorno senza sole"
Anthelme Brillat Savarin

On 2013-11-22, ViLco > wrote:

> I'd stand with the French but I'd prefer soem more info. Anyone has a copy
> of the tenth edition of "Le Cuisinier royal" in a pocket right now?

No, but have an abreviated copy of Escoffier's Guide Culinaire, which
focuses on his sauces. Basically, it sez:

1 pt béchamel
4 oz fumet (fish/veg/poult)
2 oz Gruyére
2 oz Parmesan cheese
2 oz butter

....in that order. HTH....

nb

On 11/22/2013 06:41 AM, notbob wrote:
> On 2013-11-22, ViLco > wrote:
>
>> I'd stand with the French but I'd prefer soem more info. Anyone has a copy
>> of the tenth edition of "Le Cuisinier royal" in a pocket right now?
>
> No, but have an abreviated copy of Escoffier's Guide Culinaire, which
> focuses on his sauces. Basically, it sez:
>
> 1 pt béchamel
> 4 oz fumet (fish/veg/poult)
> 2 oz Gruyére
> 2 oz Parmesan cheese
> 2 oz butter
>
> ...in that order. HTH....
>
> nb

Here's the unabbreviated version of the recipe by Escoffier in its entirety:

-----------------------------------------------------------------

91- MORNAY SAUCE

Boil one pint of Béchamel Sauce with one-quarter pint of
the fumet of that fish which is to constitute the dish. Reduce
by a good quarter, and add two oz. of Gruyére and two oz. of
grated Parmesan.

Put the sauce on the fire again for a few minutes, and ensure
the melting of the cheese by stirring with a small whisk. Finish
the sauce away from the fire with two oz. of butter added by
degrees.

---------------------------------------------------------------

This is from the first (British) English translation, published in 1907,
found at archive.org.

On 2013-11-23, Whirled Peas > wrote:

> Here's the unabbreviated version of the recipe by Escoffier in its entirety:

Which is what I have, but didn't think I needed to post all of it.
This is, after all, a cooking group.

nb